Financing for equity in pre-primary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to institutions
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
Key financing indicators (UIS Data)
According to the UNESCO UIS, the official entrance age to pre-primary education in Lithuania is 3 years old. The country guarantees 1 year of free compulsory primary education according to legal frameworks. In 2022, pre-primary education had a net enrolment rate of 94.7%.
According to the most recent amendment of the Law on Education in 2025, 2-year-olds will have a guaranteed place in pre-primary institutions from 2025.
Governance
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision is divided into two parts. The first part is non-obligatory pre-school education established by the Minister of Education, Science and Sport and the Minister of Social Security and Labour. The second part of the ECEC provision is compulsory and starts when children are 6. Parents can opt to send their children to pre-primary education a year earlier. These institutions may be managed by the state or local governments.
Tuition-free status
The country guarantees 1 year of free compulsory primary education according to legal frameworks.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
Early childhood education and care (ECEC) provision is divided into two parts. The first part is non-obligatory pre-school education established by the Minister of Education, Science and Sport and the Minister of Social Security and Labour. The second part of the ECEC provision is compulsory and starts when children are 6. Parents can opt to send their children to pre-primary education a year earlier. These institutions may be managed by the state or local governments.
2. Education resources to institutions
Pre-primary education in Lithuania is primarily comprised of state kindergartens, municipal kindergartens, and private institutions. The financing method for pre-schools follows the same system as compulsory education. The state allocates the ‘class basket’ funds to pupils learning in state, municipality and private schools. The funds must cover the education of a child for 20 hours per week. These funds are allocated based on the number and size of children's groups in pre-school and pre-primary education, as well as certain expenses for each child. This has the most impact on private ECE institutions. Every year, private and general education schools report on the use of ‘class basket’ funds to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.
The basic education funds are doubled for pre-school children with special needs and for pupils learning the pre-primary curricula in an ethnic minority language or learning the national language.
3. Education resources to students and families
In Lithuania, the municipal governments are considered the “founders” of public pre-school education institutions. Each municipal council establishes the fees for the preschools in its region. Parents are required to cover the cost of meals provided to their children in municipal pre-schools.
However, pre-school institutions' fees (excluding private ones) may be reduced by 50% under the following circumstances:
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The child has only one parent;
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The family is raising three or more children;
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The child has major or severe special education needs;
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The child suffers from cancer, diabetes, asthma, epilepsy, or a severe allergy;
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Both parents have a working capacity level of up to 40%;
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The child lives in a student family where one parent is a full-time student at an educational institution.
Additionally, all pre-school students have the right to free lunch without assessing the family’s income.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Lithuania provides parents of young children with several social benefit programmes. The child benefits programme starts when the child is born and lasts until 18 or 23 years of age if the child is enrolled in general education programmes. Each child is entitled to a child benefit of EUR 122.5 per month. Families must apply for the benefit through their municipalities.
Children from large or economically disadvantaged families, or those with disabilities, may also receive an additional allowance of EUR 72.1 per month. A family is considered large if it has three or more children, and ‘needy’ if it has one or two children with an average monthly income below EUR 442 per family member.
Large families and families caring for children with disabilities may also qualify for a family card. These cards provide special privileges from public and private legal entities, including preferential treatment, additional services, discounts, benefits, gifting, or other promotional initiatives for goods and services.
A Childcare Compensatory Allowance is granted to parents when the child is of pre-school age but is not educated according to the pre-school education programme as long as they are cared for by a nanny. Families are provided with EUR 364 per month. Payments are made until the contract with the nanny has ended.
